1. Field of the Invention
Apparatuses and methods consistent with the present invention relate to a refrigerator, and more particularly, to a refrigerator which improves a configuration of an ice-making unit.
2. Description of the Related Art
A refrigerator stores various foods for a long time by using cooling air generated by a cooling cycle. Generally, the refrigerator includes a freezing compartment which stores frozen foods, such as meat and fish, at a temperature bottom than a freezing temperature, and a refrigerating compartment which stores foods, such as fruits and vegetables, at a temperature above the freezing temperature. A freezing compartment door is attached to a front side of the freezing compartment, while a refrigerating compartment door is attached to a front side of the refrigerating compartment.
Recently, a refrigerator which includes an ice-making unit and a dispenser in a freezing compartment door has been developed. FIGS. 1 and 2 illustrate freezing compartment doors 100 and 200 of conventional refrigerators which include ice-storage units 110 and 210 and dispensers 160 and 260. The ice-storage units 110 and 210 are provided in an inner upper part of the freezing compartment doors 100 and 200 of the conventional refrigerators. The dispensers 160 and 260 are provided outside the freezing compartment doors 100 and 200 to supply ice stored by the ice-storage units 110 and 210 to the outside.
As shown in FIG. 1, a conventional refrigerator includes an ice storage container 120 which has an ice outlet provided in a lateral side thereof to discharge ice cubes, an ice mover 130 which moves the ice cubes stored in the ice storage container 120 to the ice outlet, an ice shredder 140 which shreds the ice cubes supplied from the ice storage container 120 into pieces, and a driver 150 which drives the ice mover 130 and the ice shredder 140.
Such a conventional refrigerator has the ice storage container 120 whose lengthwise direction is disposed horizontally in a front-rear direction to take a relatively large space in a storage compartment. As the ice shredder 140 and the driver 150 are provided in a lateral side of the ice storage container 120, the capacities of the ice storage container 120 and the storage compartment decrease correspondingly. Also, the ice storage container 120 is provided horizontally, thereby failing to provide ice uniformly.
As shown in FIG. 2, a conventional refrigerator includes an ice storage container 220 which has an ice outlet in a bottom surface thereof to discharge ice cubes, a shaking lever 230 which shakes the ice cubes stored in the ice storage container 220, an ice shredder 240 which is provided in a bottom part of the ice storage container 220 to shred the ice cubes supplied from the ice storage container 220 into pieces, and a driver 250 which drives the shaking lever 230 and the ice shredder 240.
Such a conventional refrigerator has the ice storage container 220 which is vertically provided and increases the capacity of the ice storage container 220. However, the shredded ice piles up in an outlet path if the shredded ice is not discharged. Also, the ice cubes are discharged through the ice outlet by gravity, thereby making the amount of the ice discharged not uniform.